COMMITTEE FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OFFICIAL REPORT
(Hansard)
Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) Bill
9 December 2009
Members present for all or part of the proceedings:
Mr Fred Cobain (Chairperson)
Miss Michelle McIlveen (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Allan Bresland
Mr Willie Clarke
Mr Tommy Gallagher
Mr Danny Kinahan
Mr Ian McCrea
Mr George Robinson
Mr Brian Wilson
The Chairperson (Mr Cobain):
Good morning, members. We come to our clause-by-clause scrutiny of the Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) Bill, after which we will deal with the Committee report.
Clause 1 (Grants to water and sewerage undertakers: extension of initial period)
The Chairperson:
Clause 1 deals with the extension from three to six years of the initial period for which the Department for Regional Development is required to make grants to Northern Ireland Water equal to the amount of discounts provided to customers in the initial period.
Question, That the Committee is content with the clause, put and agreed to.
Clause 1 agreed to.
Clause 2 agreed to.
The Chairperson:
Our second item of business is the draft Committee Report on the Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) Bill. I will ask members whether they agree the paragraphs as we go through them. Do members agree paragraphs 1 and 2, which contain the introduction and background to the report?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson:
Do members agree paragraphs 3 to 11, which detail the Committee’s approach?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson:
Paragraphs 12 to 16 deal with the consideration of the provisions in the Bill. Paragraphs 13 and 14 relate to clause 1, which the Committee agreed earlier, and paragraphs 15 and 16 relate to clause2, which was also agreed by the Committee earlier today. Do members agree paragraphs 12 to 16?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson:
The remaining paragraphs deal with other issues, to which paragraphs 17 and 18 form an introduction. Do members agree paragraphs 17 and 18?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson:
Do members agree paragraphs 19 and 20, which detail the cost of continued deferral?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson:
Do members agree paragraphs 21 to 24, which deal with the reclassification of Northern Ireland Water?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson:
Do members agree paragraph 25, which outlines the VAT treatment of Northern Ireland Water?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson:
Do members agree paragraphs 26 to 28, which outline the role of the Committee for Regional Development in related Executive decisions?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson:
Are members content that the changes discussed at today’s meeting be made and that a revised report and the associated appendices be included in members’ papers for 6 January 2010 for final consideration and approval?
Members indicated assent.